Your Desire to Succeed (Successphobia)

There are quite a few people who are successphobic either because they fear success (yes, there are many such people) or have an inability to cross the finish line. The person who fears success has an internal conflict - one part of him wants success and the other fears success. Most successphobics choose the latter. It is a person’s inability to comfortably handle achievement - an unconscious fear. A person who fears success is very much like a person who fears failure – both of them prevent the attainment of their goals.

Being successful is a complex desire that we strive for from a very early age. For some, it will take years to achieve, and at great expense. For others, it seems to happen overnight with little effort at all. What is it that separates those who have achieved success vs. those who have not? Why aren’t you more successful? Could it be that you are more afraid of success than you are of failure? And if so, how do you eliminate your fear and embrace success again and again? Fear is the ONE thing that holds most people back from achieving success.

Essentially, when you fear the things that go along with success (busier schedule, more scrutiny, detractors, added work, new tasks, new people), you start to work against yourself. Because you do want success, but also don’t really want to reach that place. Today, we’re going to learn exactly how to walk through a fear of success. Not ignore it, not bludgeon it, not grit your teeth and bear it – but walk right through it.

I saw the bright yellow headline: “Are you afraid of success?” It irritated me so much that I slapped the magazine back onto the waiting room table. Who is afraid of success!? I thought. I’m sick of people inventing anxieties and then foisting them upon the rest of us! Well. (:: scuffs shoes ::) Funny thing that I’ve come to learn: MANY of us are afraid of success. But we don’t often realize it.

Sometimes we can be our own worst enemy. Presenting three classic versions of fear of success, and what to do about them. Have you ever found yourself on the verge of a big success, and noticed things starting to go wrong? It begins with a feeling of agitation. The tiniest details irritate you. Reliable people start making alarming mistakes.“What’s up with them? Can’t they see how important this is? Why are they being so careless?”

One thing I’ve never heard anyone say to me is: “I’m afraid of being successful.” To hear it sounds off, it sounds counter-intuitive even. Yet as a small business coach for women and a small business entrepreneur myself, I see it all the time. In fact, you’ve probably seen it too. So, how do you identify the tell-tale signs of success-fearing behavior, and if you see them in yourself, what do you do to overcome a fear of success? Behaviors of Success-Fearing People:

Entrepreneurship is a way of life that offers unlimited possibilities to those who truly believe in it and live by it. But at the same time, entrepreneurship is a way of life that can totally alter the course of your life if misunderstood.

Passion. It’s one of the many hot topics when it comes to entrepreneurship. From Richard Branson to Oprah Winfrey to Steve Jobs – all have repeatedly stressed how important it is to be passionate about what you do in order to succeed. In fact, many motivational and small business experts encourage people to figure out what they are most passionate about and build a business around that. I agree wholeheartedly about passion being a crucial factor when it comes to succeeding as an entrepreneur. What I don’t agree with are the major ideas regarding passion and entrepreneurship.